Pina imports directly from Turkey

“German customers are buying more Turkish satsumas”

“We supply our customers with pomegranates, quinces and grapes. And from the end of November to January, we have satsumas in our assortment. These citrus fruits aren’t just sweet or tart,” tells Vakit Can, one of the managers of the Düsseldorf-based wholesaler Pina. He is of the opinion that small citrus fruit, like satsumas, have become increasingly more popular over the years. “And sales will grow even more with Christmas.”

Until recently small citrus fruit was especially popular with Germans of foreign heritage. But nowadays other Germans are just as enthusiastic about pomegranates, quinces and satsumas. Can continues: “Now everybody is buying satsumas. The seedless varieties are very popular. We sell them in 10 kg crates of 72 pieces.”

Muhammet Öztürk Junior and Vakit Can of the company Pina

The citrus fruit mainly comes from Turkey, but a share also comes from Spain: an important distinction, according to Can. “The taste of the Turkish pomegranates is very different to the Spanish. The Spanish variety Mollar has a relatively high level of acidity, while the Turkish are marvellously sweet.” And the quality of Turkish pomegranates is usually excellent, says Can. “The produce is stored in Turkey before they are transported to us by truck.”

Day’s price

Pina has been trading at the Düsseldorf wholesale market for five years and specialized in tropical fruits. The company’s customers are varied, Turkish grocery stores, all sorts of restaurants and even some Arabic shops. The company uses day prices, especially for seasonal produce. “For the most products we can’t set a fixed price. So, we send a message with our day’s prices to our Whatsapp group every day.”

The wide range of merchandise of Pina

At the moment, overseas transport is not an option for the wholesaler. Can explains: “The financial return is still too low for our company. Products we don’t import directly from Turkey, such as sweet peppers and tomatoes, we prefer to buy in Holland and Belgium.”